New Beyoncé pregnancy photographs emerge as she states: 'I have three hearts'

Beyoncé has updated her website with a flurry of photographs and statements about her pregnancy, after announcing on Wednesday night that she and husband Jay-Z were expecting twins.

The pop star posted the news on Instagram through a photograph of her cradling her bump while wearing only underwear, and a statement saying: "We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes – The Carters".

The photo gallery has changed in recent hours: initially images of a pregnant Beyoncé posing with a car full of flowers were uploaded, but these were later replaced with images of her pregnancy with Blue Ivy and comments on her relationship with her mother.

New images on Beyoncé's website

Beyoncé has celebrated her pregnancy on her website with photographs of her posing nude and in her underwear with her and Jay Z's first child, Blue Ivy, who recently turned five. The images have trappings of the work made by artist Awol Erizku, who created the first image shared by Beyoncé, such as a bust of Nefertiti, which he included in his video work Serendipity.

Among the photographs, which include black-and-white shots of a nude Beyoncé sat in upon a flower throne and floating in water, the singer has posted statements which reflect on her and her mother's pregnancy. "I look at photographs of my mother when she was pregnant with me, does she feel how I feel now?", reads one.

Beyoncé with her first daughter, Blue Ivy

Tina Knowles, captioned: 'My mother pregnant with me, 1981'

Beyoncé's representative told The Telegraph that "all approved images are on Beyonce.com", however video clips from the shoot also appeared on the Instagram fan account, which has more than a quarter of a million followers and mostly posts video clips of Beyoncé performing.

The pop star is famously meticulous about her image – in the past she has demanded that publications unpublish "unflattering" photographs of her performing, and her video output is intrinsic to the release of new music. So it is highly unusual for new images to appear on an unofficial account such as this.